Not knowing the story or excerpt you are referring to, I can only help you by asking some questions to get you thinking about the correct answer. Is the village far away from other villages or towns? Are there many sick people in the village making the doctor want to stay away? Is there a lot of violence that the doctor is trying to avoid? What is it about the village or the people in it that the doctor would be trying to avoid? The answer to that questions is the answer to your question.
Explanation:
In the poem, we note an interesting detail in the last two lines as to why the old woman sees herself as a "terrible fish". The line says,
<em>"In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman / Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish."</em>
The woman uses such expressions above to show that with the passage of time, her youthfulness like a drowning fish has passed away, bringing old age.
By comparing herself to a fish, she symbolizes her aging self to a fish on land seeking survival after it is taken from its natural habitat.
By using the expression "terrible" she depicts her hopeless condition as regards becoming young again, just as a fish taken from water enters a terrible situation.
Why dont you search in google !
You'll get a proper answer